Special Scholarships for Entering Students

Wildman/Schumacher Scholarships

Southwestern awards a select number of merit scholarships providing up to full tuition to entering J.D. students who have demonstrated exceptional academic promise. Criteria for these scholarships include strong undergraduate grade point average and Law School Admission Test scores, leadership potential and other outstanding personal accomplishments, among other factors. Awards are renewable for students who meet the continuing academic performance requirements.

Based upon a review of the information submitted in their admissions application files, ALL accepted first-year J.D. applicants are considered for Wildman/Schumacher Scholarships. Students do not need to submit a separate application for this scholarship.

As required of all ABA law schools, and to provide transparency regarding our scholarship program, below is an analysis of the past five entering classes and their rates of renewal for their scholarships:

2009-
2010

2010-
2011

2011-
2012

2012-
2013

2013-
2014

Awarded

56

92

45

51

120

Kept

48

84

40

45

101

Lost

8

8

5

6

19

Percentage Kept

85.70%

91.30%

88.90%

88.24%

84.17%

Percentage Lost

14.30%

8.70%

11.10%

11.76%

15.83%

Wildman/Schumacher Eligibility Rules

The Wildman/Schumacher Scholarship Program was established in 1983 in
memory of Paul W. Wildman who served Southwestern for 28 years as a
student, faculty member, dean and president, and Southwestern’s founder,
John J. Schumacher, who championed legal education opportunities for
students from a wide range of backgrounds and actively encouraged the
enrollment of women and minority students long before other institutions
did so.

Book Scholarships

Book scholarships are also awarded to entering students based
on LSAT score, undergraduate grades, letters of recommendation and other
factors the scholarship committee may wish to consider. Once
scholarship awards have been determined, the Financial Aid Office will
ensure that the student receives the necessary authorization for the
bookstore and will monitor continued eligibility. Please note that
recipients do not need to request that the Financial Aid Office renew
the scholarship; it will be done automatically as long as eligibility is
maintained.